Give Your Heart A Break
by IamJoy
Summary: Santana is left heartbroken, will Quinn with the help of Santana's new roommate Brittany be able to help her? Can Brittany show her it's possible to love again or will Santana just run? Brittana romance...maybe? Bit of Faberry because who can resist?
1. Chapter 1

Santana didn't register the man that was now in her apartment. She didn't register the cab ride home or blindly heading in to the traffic to hail one. Santana didn't register the moment the two glasses slipped from her hand and shattered, sending a small tidal wave of beer across the dance floor. She didn't register how long she'd been blinking back the sting of tears before just letting them fall free.

Santana's thoughts were only focused on, only registered what happened before all that: The catalyst, the moment that lead to her standing in her living room, numb.

_She'd had a long week at work, a week that made things pretty tense at home. It was an ongoing battle with her girlfriend, Roz. 'We work to live San not the other way round' was always the argument. She knew Roz was right in that sense but she knew Roz didn't understand the pressure Santana was under. Roz worked behind the bar they drank at as students. She flunked out eventually, didn't aspire too much career wise and didn't plan on changing. Santana was no high flier, she was just trying to pay her bills between teaching dance and working as a receptionist for Julliard. It might not be the glittering career she wanted but she still took it seriously. She was making connections._

_Santana came home that day, piles of paperwork and new CD's in abundance. She had emails to send on behalf of Julliard and new routines to make for her class. Before she even got to the apartment door she could hear the music and let out a weary sigh. Mentally prepping herself, she opened the door to Roz and her friends in the living room, drinking. Roz tipsily made her way to her girlfriend, sloppily kissing her on the cheek. It wasn't long before the group were attempting to woo Santana in to joining them on the town. The more she resisted, the more they begged. She laughed each attempt off as Roz grew quieter and shrunk further into the group. Santana knew she was pissed off. She knew Roz didn't like responsible Santana as much as 'college' Santana. It was a feeling that was there but never discussed. They were still happy and Santana loved her just as much as she ever did, they just needed to adjust to this new adult life._

_By 10pm, the group of drunks began exiting the apartment. Santana kept Roz behind and gave her a kiss that said 'just wait until you get home'. Santana knew it would only partly make up for ditching yet another night out to do work but it seemed to do the trick. Roz wrapped her arms around Santana in response and just gently kissed her_

_"Although I definitely can't wait to come home, are you sure you can't come out?' Roz asked putting on her best puppy voice. Santana could only shake her head and Roz soon let go of her waist and left to join her friends._

_An hour passed and Santana was restless. It wasn't unusual for Roz to go without her, she was used to it but she couldn't shake the guilt. She had to make more of an effort. It wasn't as if the relationship was struggling- they still had sex, still laughed and talked but they hadn't gone out together for a while. As Santana tried to pinpoint when exactly, she realised that if it's taking that long to remember- it's been too long. In that flash of realisation, the old Santana emerged and her laptop lid was closed. Fuck it._

_An hour later, a cab dropped Santana at the club the guys usually headed to. She was hit with a tingly excitement as she envisioned Roz's face when she showed up and the great night they'd have together. The club was pretty busy but this is Santana Lopez so using her, ahem, assets, she gets in straight away. It's hard to see anything in the club. The sides are plunged in darkness and the dance floor is a labyrinth of people, lasers and the smoke machine. She is aware of the eyes on her as she heads to the bar. From there she can get a clearer view. She orders two beers and surveys her surroundings. She recognises a face in the crowd as a face that was in her apartment and figures it's a safe bet Roz will be nearby. She moves over to him and asks where her girlfriend is. He looks surprised, hugs her and notes he hasn't seen Roz for about three songs now. She accepts his answer but not before noticing how his eyes darted to the smoking area before returning to her._

Santana knows the man in her apartment is talking to her but she doesn't hear what he's saying.

_Santana looks to the door and sees Roz coming in from outside. She is closely followed by someone else. She tries to shout but it's useless over the music and they are quickly lost in the crowd. Santana fights her way through the masses before stopping in her tracks. She finds Roz._

_Santana is frozen as she watches her girlfriend make out with another woman. She is only snapped out if it when her feet feel suddenly wet and she realises she dropped the two beers. She looks up again and Roz and ths girl have moved closer together, more intimately. Roz's crotch is grinding on this persons thigh and Santana feels like she is about to throw up. She sees Roz's face contort in pleasure at the contact and a switch goes off in Santana. She suddenly wakes from the trance and swipes at any tears that were even attempting to escape. HBIC mode. She pulls out her phone, plays with it a bit then heads straight to the nearest exit._

_Part of her wants to confront Roz but she cannot handle that kind of proximity. As she exits the club another wave of nausea washes over her as the scene plays out over and over in her head. She barely notices the vehicle's hurtling towards her as she flags down a cab. Roz's nails on this woman's back, the stimulation from dancing on the woman's knee- it was obvious where tonight was going. She left without saying a word._

_The taxi ride is a quiet one. A tornado of images, thoughts and reactions are whirring round endlessly as Santana tried to just think, to just breathe. She arrives at their apartment and she pulls out her phone again. She knows exactly who to call._

Suddenly the man's voice is clearer, Santana snaps out of her trance to see the man in front of her looking expectantly.

"Are you okay? You don't seem so sure now?" He cares enough to ask.

"Of course, let's just do this". The man looks confused but also relieved.

"Alright then, let's get started."

The man picks up his tools as Santana watches. She's been back at the apartment roughly 35 minutes. She'd cried but now she felt nothing. She watches him play with the door and then goes to the bedroom stuffing a garbage bag with anything 'Roz'. She only does clothes, the rest will have to wait.

By the time she's finished, there are four bags full and the man is just finishing up.

"Well Miss Lopez, that's all the locks changed and fitted- is there anything else you need?"

Santana eyes him for a second but knows that will just make her feel worse. She reaches for her purse and pays him.

"Hey, when you leave- could you please leave these bags by the door and stick this on the door?".

The locksmith looks over the bags but it all makes sense when she hands him the paper.

"Sure."

Now Santana must wait.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been two months since Santana caught Roz cheating. That night, Roz came home to find her key wouldn't work, her stuff was outside and a picture Santana had taken, printed out and stuck to the door. Roz had knocked and pleaded but Santana ignored it all. Roz had no excuse and the picture of her kissing another woman on the door glared at her as obvious proof. Reluctantly, she retreated to a hotel. At first, Roz was apologetic and beside herself. After a week of being ignored, she resorted to anger; blaming Santana for the demise of their relationship. When that failed, she sent Santana a barrage of flowers and texts. Santana continued to ignore her but her resolve was ebbing slowly. She might have considered taking Roz back then on week three, rumours emerged that Roz was a serial cheater and had been sleeping around since college. Roz begged for forgiveness and for another chance, she never denied the rumours though. Santana's heart broke and her guard shot back up.

Santana never spoke of it, never leaned on anyone or made out she was struggling. It was almost as if she'd erased the entire relationship from her mind. All but one of her friends believed the mask she put on but then, Quinn and Santana have been friends since birth. There was no fooling her.

'So San, Roz emailed AGAIN asking when she can get some stuff from the apartment, CD's and shit. I told her I'm not the message man but she says I have to be since you pretend she doesn't exist now." Quinn looked at Santana who had purposely zoned out. "So I said she might as well join us tonight so we can all hang and talk about it." That, got Santana's attention.

"You did what?" Santana almost flipped the coffee table

"Chill you maniac. I am joking, but now I have your attention. Santana, it's been 2 months and your constant wallowing is depressing. Not 'Rachel Berry House Party' depressing but it's close."

"I'm not wallowing."

"Yes, you are. I didn't mind so much at first; you hear your best friend secretly crying in the bathroom once- you've done it a thousand times but if I have to hear that snotty wail muffled into a hand towel again, I will personally perforate my own eardrums."

Santana was stunned into silence. Quinn had been pretty gentle up until this point. She'd not really said a word, just observed as Santana went through the motions.

"I think you need to get your ass out of that apartment and into somewhere that isn't tainted by that skank. And yes, as the poster child for teenage pregnancy- I realise the irony, but she is the skankiest of skanks. Pack up your shit, move out, move on".

Quinn was right. Even with all her stuff moved out, the apartment still carried Roz like a ghost. Santana opened her mouth and Quinn braced herself for a torrent of latina sass but instead…

"Will you help me?"

Santana sounded defeated.

Santana had never considered moving out before. She had become used to the rut she found herself in, the deep darkness that consumed her every time she went home. The thought of starting a-fresh almost made her giddy. Her and Quinn packed the rest of Roz' stuff before making a start on flat hunting.

'I'm sorry I can't move with you, my lease is a bitch".

"Quinn it's okay, really". Secretly, she wished her and Quinn could live together but Quinn's current contract had her stuck another 8 months and Santana couldn't wait that long.

The apartment hunting got off to a rocky start. A couple of potential roommates actually knew Roz so that ruled them out. Some the price was too much or just too far out from the city. There was the place with mould all over the bathroom, the place with the weird smell and the last place where they'd walked in on a guy jerking off to anime. This was harder than either of them had first imagined.

Santana was in a coffee shop circling rentals in the paper. Even as she was circling them, she had already decided she didn't want to live there. Her parents wanted her to move back home and she'd told them she loved them dearly but she would rather squat on a cactus than return to Limah. As she pondered just how bad it would be to go back to Limah, her phone rang.

"San-"

And just as quickly as she'd answered it, she hung up again. Roz, again, on an unknown number. Santana hated that she did that, she also knew she probably had to change her number. Her phone rang again from the same number causing Santana's resistance to the apartments to dissolve. In a flash movement, she ripped out one of the ads and headed straight out, not even looking to see what it said.

'Web-series presenter looking for one magical roommate. If you have no aversion to unicorns, fondue or my cat smoking when he's had a long day, you might just be the one for us. If you are a leprechaun, I have fallen for your tricks for the last time and you are not welcome in my home. Rainbow kisses to you all.'

She needed to move out.


	3. Chapter 3

Santana stood at the door with a sweat gathering on her face and her arms full of belongings. As she struggled to knock on the door, she had a flashback to the first time she found herself at the apartment.

_She had fled the coffee shop straight into the nearest taxi. It wasn't until she'd given the driver the address that she finally paid attention to the advert she had ripped from the paper. A sense of dread and regret instantly rose in her stomach. Unicorns, smoking cats? This person was clearly insane. _

_Before she could even ask the driver to change the route, he had pulled up outside of the building and Santana felt she had no other choice but to see it through. She paid for the taxi and looked at the block anxiously. She half expected to be greeted by some loon in a straight jacket. In reality, it looked quite pleasant. _

_In the lift up to the apartment, Santana questioned herself over and over why she was doing this. The person clearly had some mental health issues. This move was to ease her problems, not plunge her straight back into someone else's. And it was that thought that halted her from leaving the elevator and made her press for the ground floor again. There was no way she could live with this person. _

_In the lobby, she laughed to herself as she thought how close she had come to living with a crazy person. She pulled out her phone to call Quinn and tell her all about the ad when she saw 4 missed calls from Roz. The smile was now replaced by a pained expression. Before she knew it, she was back in the elevator and heading back up to the apartment she was just mocking. _

_With five minutes of raising her hand and dropping it again, she finally knocked on the door. After a minute, no one had answered and Santana saw this as a positive omen. After one more, incredibly soft knock, Santana turned to leave. Of course, that was then the door opened. _

'_Can I help you?'_

_Santana was surprised at how young the voice sounded and instinctively turned around. Who she saw at the door was not what she'd expected at all. She had expected an elderly deranged cat lady if she was honest. Instead this girl was Santana's age with a pretty face, long blonde hair and what she thought were the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. The blue eyes looked at her questioningly and Santana realised she had been staring without actually saying anything._

'_Oh hi, sorry. I-err-I saw your ad in the paper looking for a roommate?'_

_This mystery blonde unfolded her arms and her face broke into a smile._

'_Awesome! I'm Brittany. Sorry if you were waiting, it was Lord Tubbington's turn to answer the door but he's being a slob today.'_

'_Oh so you and someone else already live here?' Santana was pretty sure it was only a two bedroom apartment. Maybe the room was taken after all._

'_No, no just me and my cat.' Santana had forgotten about the cat and she also suddenly remembered the ad that this girl wrote. Maybe it's not craziness, drugs maybe?_

'_So erm, how do we do this? Like shall we arrange a time or some-' Brittany started shaking her head._

'_No, you can come in now- I was just dancing around anyway'_

'_Great, I'm Santana by the way.' Brittany smiled even more at the name, she thought it was pretty and suited the girl well. Brittany hadn't had a single response to her ad yet so she was trying hard to conceal her excitement. So far this Santana seemed nice, a bit reserved but Brittany was certain she could work on that._

_The apartment was small so the viewing didn't actually take long. After speaking to Britt some more, Santana came to the conclusion that she was neither crazy or on drugs and was actually pretty easy to get along with. She felt a warm buzz radiate through her and she realised she would love to live there. It was close enough to work, the rent was cheap and everything about it was opposite to everything she ever had with Roz. With her mind made up, she settled with Brittany to talk details._

And that was how she ended up here, moving in. Brittany opened the door a lot quicker this time. It took a look of persuading but Santana convinced her that it was probably best that she answer the door from now on.

Moving her boxes in didn't take as long as she'd thought it would. She sold a lot of the furniture and stuff from her old apartment just because of space in the new one. She'd pretty much just held on to essentials.

A smile formed when she saw that Brittany had decorated the apartment for her arrival with a banner and balloons. She also spotted a grumpy cat staring at her with his very own party hat. She looked at him apologetically.

''Hey Santana, fancy giving me a hand here?'' Shit, she had completely forgot about Quinn who was struggling up that stairs with the last two boxes. Both her and Brittany ran to help her.

Once the boxes were put down and the other two girls were introduced, they all sat down to catch their breath and have a drink.

"We should go out tonight, celebrate you moving in!" Brittany suggested excitedly. She was buzzing over the fact she actually managed to find a roommate. She was tired of Lord Tubbingtons mood swings, it would be good to have someone else to talk to.

Santana was tired from the move but she could sense Brittany's excitement so could only agree. Quinn said she'd tag along and Brittany said she'd bring a friend too. Quinn went home to get ready and the other two went to their rooms for a quick nap. Before Santana could even get to her room. Brittany leapt on her to give her a big hug.

"I'm so glad you live here now." And with that she skipped off to her own room. Santana wasn't really sure how to respond so she just smiled before following suit and heading to her own bed. She wasn't use to this amount of friendliness.

When Santana opened her eyes, she was immediately aware of music coming from the living room and the smell of cooking. She realised she had been napping for three hours and quickly jumped out of bed. Brittany was at the stove and the table was already set, Santana cleared her throat and the blonde turned around.

''Hey, you're awake! I thought you'd be hungry but realised I have no idea what you like so I hope spaghetti and meatballs is okay?''

''That sounds great. You didn't have to so thanks''. She watched Brittany cook and dance round the kitchen. She was so graceful in her small movements, Santana was almost transfixed before the sound of cutlery broke her thoughts.

Brittany continued to dance around, setting the cutlery and serving the food. Santana had been living in such a dark mood recently, she couldn't take her eyes away from the bundle of energy in front of her. It reminded her of how she used to be. It also reminded her that she had no idea how to get back to that person.

Brittany settled in with Santana and Quinn as if they'd been friends all their life. They'd literally only been out for an hour or two. The way they laughed made the barman shake his head and label them the 'Unholy Trinity'. This just made them laugh even more.

Santana came to find that Brittany had a unique take on the world and maybe found it harder to understand things than others. She didn't mind, it was a trait she kind of liked actually. Quinn seemed to really like her too. Brittany said her friend was due any second, once she arrived- they could move on to the next place.

Her friend finally arrived and as she approached the table, both Santana and Quinn's face dropped.

'Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me?' Santana muttered.

'I'm dreaming right, please tell me I'm dreaming?!' Santana pinched Quinn who nursed her now throbbing arm.

'Not dreaming' she deadpanned before they both turned to face the girl who was now in front of them.

'HEY GUYS! It has been the longest time and may I just say it is wonderful to see you once more in the city we all dreamed of.' Rachel Berry. Brittany had a huge grin on my face.

"The second I found out you went to school with Rachel, I just had to let it be a surprise. Isn't it great?" A sideways glance between Quinn and Santana and two forced smiles showed just how great they thought it was.

"I need a drink" Quinn shot from her seat.

"I'll come with you, there is so much to catch up on" Rachel offered brightly. Quinn looked to Santana for help and all she received was a smirk. 'Fuck you' she mouthed as Rachel linked her and pulled her towards the bar.

"So how long has it been since you saw Rachel?"

"Erm I'm not sure, just after graduation"

"You must be so happy to see her again"

"Ecstatic."

Santana was trying to be nice, Brittany meant well and she didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. In truth, there was something comforting in seeing manhands again- not that she'd ever admit it. Even Quinn returned to the table smiling, like actually smiling.

They decided to stay at the bar a little bit longer so they could talk. Santana had to give it to Berry, she wasn't half as annoying as she was in school and she actually almost enjoyed her company. She was now working off Broadway, that's how she met Brittany. Brittany is a dancer- go figure. It wasn't until they were discussing people from school that Santana realised she missed a lot of them. Quinn was also on best behaviour. Her and Rachel had a turbulent friendship so the evening could have gone either way so she was relieved to see her enjoying Rachel as much as she was.

The club was pretty busy by the time they got there. Luckily Rachel knew the security and got them in. Men gawked as the group of beautiful women entered. Brittany was oblivious, Rachel and Quinn just grinned. Santana was sending out death rays.

"Hey baby, I know something that will put a smile back on your face." Santana eyed the man.

"I'm sorry, I choke on small objects."

After that, she was pretty much left to it. She was feeling pretty tipsy by this point and she could feel the pounding of the sub in the club reverberating through her body. She went to start dancing when she spotted Brittany on the dance floor, moving her body as if she was fluid. People made space around her not wanting to disturb this spectacle. Santana was drawn to her as the blondes hips rolled. She had never seen anyone dance like that. It was like she was completely at one with the music and was letting it move her body for her. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or not but she found it a little arousing. Brittany opened her eyes and smiled softly when she saw Santana in front of her. She slowed her movements as she watched Santana dance. She couldn't lie, she was impressed- Santana could move. She also appreciated her being there. When Brittany starts dancing, a lot of people are too intimidated to join her. The two eventually came together, moving their hips in time, getting closer to one another. Santana wasn't sure what was going on but she knew she was enjoying it. Brittany's face was just inches from her own, the light making her skin glow. Was Brittany straight? Santana didn't know. Is this how straight girls dance? Santana glanced to see Brittany looking at her curiously- was she thinking the same as Santana? Before anything could happen, the warmth from the alcohol went cold in her stomach and Quinn was quickly at her side. Brittany took in Santana's expression and tried to gage what caused it. She followed the direction of Quinn's glare. A woman was staring right back across the dance floor.

Santana tried to move, tried to say something but she couldn't. She knew Brittany was probably concerned but she couldn't move her mouth. All she felt was Quinns tight grip around her arm. Roz started to walk over to the group. That's when Santana threw up.

Rachel was trying to sweet talk the bouncer while he held tightly to a raging Quinn.

''THAT BITCH DESERVED IT!'' No matter her protest, he still would not let her go. "TRUST ME, THAT WASN'T EVEN MY BEST SLAP!"

A smirking Roz got in to the back of a cab before pretending to wince at the mark now on her face. A little further down the street, Santana was stood with Brittany.

"So that's the ex huh?" Santana just nodded.

Roz hadn't even got the chance to talk to Santana. Quinn had seen to that. One hard slap and a thrown drink later, here they were, kicked out of the club. Quinn was lucky Roz didn't want to press any charges. She was a dick but she wasn't that much of a dick. Santana's phone vibrated right on cue.

'I just wanted to talk, that was all. R x'

She really needed to change her number.

"Brittany- I'm really sorry for how the night ended, it's not how I saw it going." Brittany gave a goofy smile.

"Are you kidding? It was awesome. I kind of want Quinn to slap me now. Did you hear the ring on it?"

"Quinn always was a genius slapper." Brittany laughed and rubbed Santana's back.

"How are you feeling? Do you need any water to rinse your mouth or anything?" Santana had actually forgotten the taste of sick until Brittany reminded her. She flinched at the contact from the blonde and Brittany moved her hand away. "Sorry, I just know I like having my back rubbed if I'm sick."

"It's okay- really. Sorry, my brain is whirring-

"No need to apologise. I'll give you time to think, I should probably go and get your friend freed from security." Brittany bounced off towards the other blonde.

'I miss you. R x'

Santana felt tears trickle down her cheek. She hated her. Actually hated her. She threw her phone to the ground, not reacting as it smashed.

"So we'll need to be getting you a new one of those then?" Santana half-smiled before being wrapped in a Quinn hug. "She's a piece of work that woman" Quinn only heard a sniff as a response. Rachel and Brittany had hung back, not feeling like this was their place. "For what it's worth, she looked jealous. You and Brittany looked really hot together. The way she was looking at you, I almost asked you both to get a room."

Santana didn't really absorb that information fully. She didn't want to. Whatever spark she felt on the dance floor with Brittany, she'd put out. Her heart was bruised and there was no way she ready to let someone else have a go at crushing it.

They both made their way to their friends and on the taxi ride home, Santana purposely sat as far from Brittany as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, this is actually my first fan-fic…in fact the first story I've wrote since the crappy one's we had to do in school when we were like 12. I really appreciate the comments and that so many people are following and enjoying this. This whole thing will be a journey for both me and the characters so I hope you enjoy the ride.**

* * *

><p>The next morning, Santana woke with a pounding headache and a mouth dryer than a nuns…nevermind. She gently raised herself up and out of bed to get some water. Hissing like a cat at the sunlight pouring in, she stumbled through the apartment taking in her surroundings. On the couch was Rachel wrapped in a blanket. It took a moment for her eye's to adjust to the light for her to realise Quinn was there with her. How did that happen?<p>

There was a litter of bottles on the floor and the flashbacks from the night before hit her. When they'd got back to the apartment, Santana was determined to carry on the party. And they did…right up until she became the crying drunk. She was pretty sure Rachel started crying with her at one point with the two blondes watching, not really sure on the course of action to take. Santana cringed at the memory.

She can't really remember how she got to bed but judging from the amount of empties on the floor, she was guessing she was put to bed. She observed the two girls on the sofa and considered waking them up. She wasn't entirely sure how Quinn would feel if she were to know she spent the night cuddled up to Rachel Berry. A clink of glass startled her.

"Did they stay here all night?" A yawning Brittany emerged from her room.

"It looks that way. Too drunk to go home?" Brittany started to chuckle at Santana's question.

"Actually no. By the time we all managed to get you to bed, it was really late. I think you made us sing to you…seven times? They were gonna crash in my room but I guess they never made it."

Santana was horrified at that story. She had no recollection, she could literally feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and she looked awkwardly at the floor. Brittany just laughed before handing her a glass of water.

"Shit, I can't even remember that. I'm sorry I'm such a hot mess when I drink."

"After the crying stopped, and there was a lot of crying, you were quite sweet actually." Santana didn't think her cheeks could feel any warmer but here they were. "Are you feeling okay today, I mean you had a pretty rough night?"

Santana paused to consider her answer.

"I will be." Brittany smiled and went to rub Santana's arm before stopping, a gesture not missed by Santana. She guessed she'd successfully managed to be a dick last night and successfully keep some distance. She didn't want things to be awkward. Christ, she could be comforted without falling apart surely? She took Brittany by surprise and gave her a half hug.

"Thanks for last night Britt, looking after me and everything." And with that she headed back to her room to shower. Brittany stood there grinning like a fool. She was going to best friends with Santana Lopez one day. She just knew it.

Once everyone was showered, clean and slightly more human, the four girls reassembled in the living room. Quinn and Rachel were incredibly shy around each other. Santana figured there was some embarrassment between the two from sharing the couch, after all, they were enemies once.

Whatever awkwardness she had instigated with Brittany the night before had been forgotten and they were messing around in the kitchen getting hangover snacks.

"Britt…so what you're telling me is-"

"Dolphins are gay sharks. In fact, calling them dolphins is incredibly offensive. Just because they are different doesn't mean we shouldn't call them sharks." Santana wondered what kind of magical land must exist in the blondes head.

The rest of the day was the four of them curled up on the sofas watching crap tv until both Quinn and Rachel both decided to head home.

"Sure you don't need a lullaby before we leave?" Quinn shot at Santana as she picked up her bag.

"Ha ha ha that is so sweet, and in light of you generosity, I just want to say our sofa is always welcome to you both next time you wants to gets your cuddle on." The smug look on Quinn's face didn't last long as her and Rachel tried to look anywhere but at each other. Rachel cleared her throat.

"Well I'll see you at the theatre on Monday Britt, Santana- always a pleasure" she paused in her good bye "and of course you too Quinn." Quinn returned the comment with a bashful smile. Seriously, what was going on with these two?

Rachel left soon followed behind by Quinn. Quinn hung back to arrange a shopping trip with Santana. She needed a new phone since she decided to go all Hulk on her old one. She also went on one last rant about Roz causing Santana to practically push her out the door.

Finally, there was peace in the apartment.

"Has Quinn always hated Roz that much?" Santana flinched at the question not sure she was quite ready to go in to the Santana/Roz story. When she saw Brittany's face though, she only saw innocent curiosity- not realising the weight of the question.

"They never got on, no. Quinn thought I could do better. Roz thought she was uptight and didn't like the fact me and Quinn had this drunken one night stand wh-"

Brittany's surprised face stopped her mid-sentence.

"Yeah- that happened. We were drunk and at a party. It was so long ago but Roz couldn't accept how close we are considering _that_ past and always tried to shake Quinn off. I loved Roz but that wouldn't happen for anybody."

Santana smiled as she remembered the drunken night with Quinn. Just as her imagination was getting to the good bit, she also remembered the two blue eyes watching her.

"How long were you guys together?"

"All through college and the last year since we graduated. She helped me a lot with coming out to my family and stuff. I'll always be kinda grateful for that." Santana, in hindsight, was surprised at how easily she could talk to Brittany. When Quinn tried to talk about Roz, she closed up. "I guess in the end though, I never really knew her."

The two women talked through the evening. Santana practically offloaded her relationship baggage onto Brittany and Brittany shared her own doomed relationships. She too had been hurt. Santana's heart knotted when she heard how controlling Brittany's last boyfriend was: He told her she was stupid all the time and basically ruined her self-esteem. It took her a long time to build herself up again but she did.

"And you will too." Santana inhaled deeply at that.

"I hope you're right Britt, I really do."

They sat in pensive silence for a while and Brittany was soon falling asleep on the sofa. Santana didn't want to just leave her there. She knelt by her and gently nudged her. Nothing. She nudged a bit harder. In her sleep, Brittany smiled. Santana thought she looked adorable. The blonde eventually began to stir and open her eyes. Santana held out her hands and Brittany held on to them to pull herself up. Santana noted how small and soft her hands felt in her own.

"I'm…I'm glad Roz messed up" the blonde yawned out. Santana wasn't sure she heard right.

"You're what?" She tried to internalise the pissed off tone but it still came out a little sharp.

"I'm glad. I'm sorry you had to get hurt but I'm glad otherwise how would we have met?" She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and Santana didn't know how to respond. She didn't have to, Brittany was already in her room by the time Santana snapped back to her senses.

She felt like shit a lot of the time but she couldn't disagree, she was glad to have met Brittany too.


	5. Chapter 5

Brittany was currently in Santana's dance class watching. On a Wednesday, she'd finish at the theatre and go to the studio and her and Santana would go home together. She'd originally reasoned that since winter was just starting to appear and it was getting darker- it was safer to have the company walking through the city. She definitely wouldn't tell Santana she loved that walk just as much because she got to spend time with her.

Her day had ended early at the theatre so this was the first time she got to see Santana in action, usually arriving just as the class ended. A great dancer and amazing with kids, Brittany was a bit in awe. Obviously, the routines were limited- the class was only made up of 8 year olds but she was still impressed by what she saw from the Latina and, of course, she still had the memory of that first night and Santana's hips moving…

"Wooooooooooooooooo." The cheer disrupted her thoughts and she realised all eyes were on her, including Santana's. Shit. She tried to act like she'd been paying attention.

"You guys were awesome- so awesome. High-fives all round." She felt satisfied with that response. Good save Pierce. Santana began to smirk and the kids just looked confused.

"Well thank you Britt but the kids are actually waiting to see *you* dance." Brittany's eyes widened creating an even bigger glint in Santana's eyes. "Pick the song" she challenged throwing her iPod at the blonde.

There is no way Brittany was going to let Santana win this one. She caught the iPod and got up confidently.

"Right kids, your teacher did an okay job but let me show you real dancing." She winked at the Latina and her arched eyebrow. "You brought a knife to a gunfight Lopez" and the music kicked in.

Santana knew Brittany could dance but that still didn't prepare her for what she was seeing. She glanced at her class with their hanging mouths when she realised hers was open too.

The precision of the moves with the music was astounding and her poise was flawless. She moved around the studio effortlessly, like air. The tempo of the song kicked up a notch and Brittany didn't miss a single beat. Brittany wined to the floor and Santana felt a stirring of butterflies in her stomach. Is it hot in here, it feels hot in here?

The song came to an end and the room erupted with the kids' enthusiasm.

"Teach me"

"Can you dance again?"

"I want to dance just like you!"

"Are you an alien?"

Santana watched from her spot as Brittany was mobbed by gushing 8 year olds. She couldn't help but chuckle as she saw her roommate try to teach her class some of the easier moves. What a natural. Parents started to appear and also seemed to immediately take a shine to the new tutor.

"I might be out of a job if you keep this up" she remarked causing the blonde to laugh. Soon the studio was filled with just them two. "In all seriousness though Britt, you were remarkable and girl your footwork is tight!"

"I can teach you some moves…you know, if you think you can keep up." Well that was a challenge Santana could not back down from.

The two started working through some choreography. Santana wasn't far behind Brittany in terms of ability but the blonde still had an edge and a control of her body that the Latina just didn't.

"No, no- you're turn will land off balance if you launch like that. Here watch."

Brittany showed the routine again and watched Santana attempt and stumble.

"Wanky. I can't do it Britt!"

"Yeah you can." Brittany came up behind Santana, she could feel her against her back. "You just need to move this leg like this", Santana followed the direction "and position your hips here." Brittany's hands on her hips sent a jolt of electricity through her. She started to lean back in to Brittany's hold. "Perfect" the blonde complimented, her mouth right by the brunette's ear. Santana had to break away before she fainted. Her heart was like a caged animal trying to break through the confine of her ribs.

"We should head home." Santana quickly broke away from Brittany's hold leaving the blonde a little perplexed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course. You're always saying the darker it gets, the more likely we are to be mugged." Brittany didn't buy that for one second and she mentally patted herself on the back. It was usually pretty easy to get things past her.

"San-" but she gave up. She knew this kind of mood. When she caught Lord Tubbington watching porn, he avoided her for like a week. It's useless trying.

The walk home was in silence, it was killing both girls but neither could pluck the courage to just say it. The truth is, Santana liked feeling Brittany's touch on her- really liked it. Any other time, she would have pounced and let the blonde take her there and then. So what was the problem? They lived together. If this went wrong, she'd have to pack up and move again and she didn't have that energy again. She cared about Brittany so much that the thought of losing her at any point terrified her. They'd lived together for just over a month now and she loved it. Snixx hadn't made an appearance once since she found Brittany. They could try at whatever was happening between them but she just wasn't willing to risk it. Whoever said 'it's better to have loved and lost then never loved at all' clearly hadn't been fucking chewed up and spat out by love.

Brittany was going through the moment in the studio on loop, how she felt pressed up against Santana. She didn't know where these feelings came from but at that time, she just wanted to hold her in her arms. She came close until Santana shied away. That made her really confused. Did she not feel it too? Maybe it was too soon? Brittany continued to steal side-ways glances just to try and gage anything the Latina could be feeling. So hard to read.

Santana could feel the blonde's eyes on her and she resisted every urge and instinct to return the gazes. They'd sleep on it and by tomorrow, they could resume as normal.

"Well finally!" The sudden company of a males voice broke their daze. Brittany stopped, her skin dropping in colour a shade or two. Santana spotted it straight away.

"Britt, do you know him?" Brittany was trying to shake the sick feeling in her stomach. She suddenly felt like she needed to sit down.

"He's my ex" she said just under her breath.

"I've only been waiting outside for like an hour, the theatre said you finished hours ago."

"W-why are you here Tom?"

Tom smiled at her, the same patronising 'oh sweetie you're a fucking idiot' smile she saw countless times in their relationship. He moved closer, his height towering over her slightly.

"I came to talk munchkin. Things didn't go so well last time we saw each other."

"Fucking understatement, you hit her you jackass" Santana muttered to herself though not as quietly as she thought. Tom turned his head to look at her, just noticing her now.

"I'm sorry- and you are?"

"A friend." Santana could feel a rage boiling inside and she was ready to go all Lima Heights Adjacent on his ass.

"Yeah well this doesn't concern you. Why don't you move along Princess." Oh hell no! If Santana didn't feel Brittany's arm jut out slightly to say 'leave it', the guy would be on his ass. She sucked her teeth and stepped back a bit.

"Tom we have nothing to discuss." Brittany tried to maintain a strong resolve but she heard the crack in her voice and Tom was on it like a shark. He stepped even closer to her placing his hands on either side of her arms.

"Don't be like that munchkin, I made a mistake and I'm here to fix it."

Brittany mustered a "no" and Santana noticed a twitch in Tom's neck. This guy was trouble.

"Brittany come on, let's just go upstairs and talks about it" Santana edged nearer to Brittany in hope it might give her more confidence.

"I said no Tom" she felt his grip get tighter on her arms and she struggled to look him in the eye. "I have nothing to say to you and if you came here under the impression I'd take you back- you were wrong." If Tom were a kettle, steam would be pouring from his ears.

"Why are you talking to me like that" his voice rose in anger "what happened to you?" Santana couldn't stand by anymore.

"You heard the girl- she said no so back the fuck off before I make you wish your mother swallowed you instead." Tom didn't try to be calm this time.

"I said this doesn't concern you." He looked between Brittany and this brunette who was walking closer "Why don't you just fuck off back to Mexico or wherever it is you cockroaches came from and stop interfering in other people's business. Think you can do that? In fact, you know what, take this fucking retard with you. She's not worth it"

Santana's fist connected with his nose with beautiful precision and the bastard stacked it.

"I'm from Lima, Ohio you racist piece of shit and that is how we do it." She grabbed Brittany, her face now full of concern. "Are you okay?"

Brittany's eyes darted between Santana and Tom now wincing on the floor. Santana was like her Knight in shining armour. In one swift moment, she wrapped her arms around the other woman and crashed their lips together.


	6. Chapter 6

Santana's eyes widened at the kiss and it took her a few moments to respond. She closed her eyes and settled in to it. Brittany's lips felt so soft against her own. They'd slowed it down now and were both just enjoying this new sensation.

Tom pulled himself up off the floor. "Oh this is just gold. So you're a dyke now too?"

Santana broke the kiss to land another punch beautifully.

"You really need to learn when to stay down and shut up. You stay the fuck away from Brittany and this apartment because I could go all night." She looked back to a more doe eyed Brittany. "We should go inside away from this asshole. Another punch and I might break my hand."

Brittany was grinning as they climbed the stairs.

"I don't usually like violence but that was hot." Santana just laughed.

"I don't punch many people but there was no way I could let that douchebag talk to you that way." This clearly merited another kiss because just as she finished that sentence, Brittany was attacking her lips.

They pushed through the apartment door and somehow miraculously managed to locate the sofa without pulling apart once. They stumbled as they both kicked off their shoes and they landed with Brittany on top. Santana felt like she was on fire. Brittany was quick to throw off her jacket and they broke for air. The brunette looked at the woman now on top of her.

"What are we doing?"

Brittany didn't answer with words but instead targeted Santana's neck with her mouth. A soft moan escaped Santana encouraging the blonde, her tongue feeling its way across the soft skin. Santana's jeans suddenly felt very tight as she became aware of the throbbing at her centre. Brittany's hands ran their way up and down her body before her fingers settled to roaming up and down her inner thigh. Santana captured Brittany's mouth again with a deep, hard kiss. Opening her legs, the blonde slot in between them steadying into a gentle grind as their tongues played with each other.

As Santana's need became more desperate, she yanked off Brittany's dress and unhooked the bra. As she took a freshly exposed nipple into her mouth, Brittany thrust her hips harder against Santana's core soliciting a 'fuck' from the Latina. She continued to take the nipple in her mouth and suck and play with it until Brittany thought she would climax from it. She pulled of Santana's shirt and moved so Santana could sit up and have her bra removed. Brittany was breathless as she took in this womans half-naked form. She was stunning. She wanted Santana to know so she covered every inch of her in kisses, stopping once to suck and nip at the delicious skin of the woman she adored. Santana could feel the effects pooling in her underwear.

"Jeans" she rasped and Brittany took direction. She unbuttoned the garment in question and slip her hand in and under the waistband of her underwear. Santana's breath hitched at the contact and Brittany moaned when she felt how wet she was. In an odd sort of scuffle, the jeans were finally removed.

Both girls lay together naked on the sofa each taking the other in. As their skin touched for the first time, they both glanced down to view the contact. Their kiss this time was a slot slower and intimate. Brittany's fingers moved inside Santana and her back arched as Brittany reached deeper. The slow gentleness became hard and faster, Santana was calling out Brittany's name as she felt her fingers stroke her G-spot over and over. She could feel herself getting closer as the tingling sensation reached beyond her centre and extended to her toes which were now curled and her arms that felt like dead weights. Her breathing became shallower and she could feel herself growing tighter around Brittany. Brittany pushed deeper and Santana made fists as she got closer and closer. Her hips raised off the sofa and her thighs trembled as she reached the point. Her orgasm brought her crashing down in a wave of glorious pins and needles as her hips bucked and shuddered against Brittany who still moved slowly inside her as she rode out the climax. Breathless and content, she kissed Brittany through a smile.

"You are so beautiful Santana."

It was the early hours of the morning before the girls fell apart from each other, flushed and panting. At some point, they'd made their way to Brittany's bed. Santana was curled in Brittany's arms who placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. That was possibly the best night of her life. Kissing the brunette once more, she closed her eyes willing herself to have sweet Santana dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

**Your reviews have been lovely and I'm blown away by the support from followers etc. As I've stated before, this is my first venture into fan-fic of any kind so I'm extremely humble and grateful to you all. **

**I'm going to try to make this story as natural and progressive as possible so thank you for sticking with it. I hope you're all having a lovely evening.**

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><p>"Do you want to tell me why we're here" Quinn huffed as she sat down, her face puffy with exhaustion.<p>

"I needed to talk." Santana felt jittery in comparison to her sleepy companion.

"In a diner…at 7.30 in the morning?" Daylight was barely peaking behind the clouds, the air still damp with evening dew. Where they were gradually filled with exhausted truckers just scraping through the night shift.

Santana squirmed in her seat at her friend's crankiness. She had been so caught up, she hadn't really considered the time or anything really. Now she felt bad. She inhaled deeply, nervously playing with a salt shaker.

"I slept with Brittany." The scowl on Quinn's face transformed in to surprise before melting in to understanding.

"When did this happen?" she asked softly.

"Last night" and Santana proceeded to fill her in on the events of the night before: The dance studio, Tom, the kiss that lead to something more; Quinn just listened, brows furrowed the entire time.

"Can't say I'm surprised though I did you think you'd be a little happier. And wow her ex sounds like a tool."

"Huge understatement, you should have heard the way he spoke to her!" Santana's jaw clenched when she thought back to that smarmy bastard. Quinn's eyebrows just knitted tighter together. Eventually she folded her arms and relaxed back into her seat searching Santana's face.

"Where's Brittany now?" From the guilty look on her friends face, she already knew the answer. "You just left her didn't you?" Santana couldn't even speak, she just nodded- eyes fixed on the table. Quinn let out a sigh. "San-"

"I know alright. I know." She put the salt shaker down and looked around the diner. She couldn't look at Quinn as the shame rose in her like bile. "I didn't know what else to do Quinn. It shouldn't have happened like that but it did." Quinn just shook her head. "Have a time machine in that purse?" Santana weakly joked.

"Not that there is ever a time for your wisecracks but it's probably best you don't turn _this_ into a joke. You're going to break her heart and do you have any idea of the consequences-" Quinn's tone caught her off-guard.

"Consequences for who? You?" Santana's eyes narrowed trying to interpret her friends meaning before realization washed over her. "Wait, you and Manhands have a little something going on don't you?" She edged her folded arms further across the table "and you're worried in case what? You have to take sides?" Santana fell back into her seat laughing as she shook her head at the ceiling. "Tell me because I've always wondered, can you use her nose like a sex toy?"

Quinn's skin flushed as she rubbed the back of her neck with her hand.

"I'm going to ignore that remark. Yes alright, we're sort of dating; it's kind of all over the place. Can we just get back to what's important right now? Last night, you slept with a girl that is crazy about you Santana and right now, she is waking up in an empty bed realising you ran away." A knot caught in Santana's throat. "So what are you going to do?"

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><p>Light began to break through the curtains causing Brittany to stir in her sleep. She closed her eyes tighter not willing to let go of the dream she'd been enjoying. The light became a poking finger and Brittany groaned at its intrusion…that was until she remembered last night wasn't a dream. Her eye's snapped open, a dopey smile breaking on her face. She rolled over to enjoy a sleeping Santana when her early morning joy faltered. Santana wasn't there. She sat up gathering the duvet around her waiting for the Latina to emerge from the bathroom trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Half an hour passed and Santana still wasn't back to bask in the magic of the night before. After an hour, Brittany was forced to face the reality, Santana had bailed. Her head bounced off the headboard as she tried to put her thoughts in order, trying to fathom whatever reason Santana may have for not being there.<p>

Fuck! She slammed her eyes shut when she realised how stupid she had been. How many times has she shied away from you? How many times has she subtly rejected your advances? All these thoughts clouded Brittany's mood. Santana didn't want to sleep with her, she knew this now- they'd just got caught up in the adrenaline of Tom. In normal circumstances, it wouldn't have happened. Last night, she was almost grateful to Tom; now she regarded him with the same resounding hate as usual.

A key turning in the front door echoed through to her room, at least she came back. There was a time that noise would have caused her to leap from her bed. Today, her uneasiness kept her bolted.

Santana stepped cautiously into the apartment and glancing around, was relieved to see that Brittany was still in her room. Taking gentle steps, she entered the living room. A pang of guilt hit her as Brittany's door became unavoidable. She considered knocking, apologising, erasing this morning but the shame stopped her. She'd freshen up then tackle this with the speech she'd rehearsed in her head.

"Good morning." The blonde's upbeat tone took Santana by surprise as she suddenly emerged from her room. She's expected hurt, pissed off even. The cheeriness left her unsettled.

"G-good morning." Brittany just smiled as she passed her to go to the kitchen leaving Santana dumb-founded. "How are you?" Santana could have slapped her own face for asking that one. How do you think she is? Frickin' moron!

Brittany took a deep breath and plastered on her best smile before she turned to face the girl.

"I'm great thanks, do want a coffee or anything?"

Santana quickly tried to make sense of the situation. This is not how she imagined it all to be. She realised Brittany was waiting for a reply.

"What? Oh coffee." Did she want coffee? She wasn't sure. Brittany raised her eyebrows. "No thanks, I'm good. I mean I don't coffee. I don't *want* coffee." She closed her eyes willing the ground to swallow her. Brittany watched, a faint trace of a smile playing on her lips.

"Okay, well I'm getting in the shower. See you later." She headed back into her room, closing the door behind her. Santana just stood there not quite sure what happened. Was she not even bothered that Santana wasn't there in this morning? Maybe last night was just a hook up for Brittany? Santana had come in with every intention of apologising for her behaviour, explaining that they were better off as friends but she had to admit, Brittany's casualness just now had sent her reeling…even though it's what she wanted…right? She pulled herself from the spot she was currently rooted at and went to her room. She needed a lie down.

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><p>"…and then she could barely get a sentence out. It would have been cute if you know, she hadn't left me to wake up alone."<p>

Rachel was listening on the phone as her friend told her all about her night of passion with Santana. Quinn had already phoned to give her a heads up but even then, she wasn't surprised. In the month since her old school friend had moved in, she'd seen more of the old Brittany, the pre-Tom Brittany and she was thrilled. Now Santana had hung her friend out to dry, thrilled was slowly being replaced with rage.

"Did she at least apologise?"

"No but I didn't give her chance to, my knees were shaking- I had to get out of there. I could tell she was though, she could barely look me in the eye."

"I've got to say Brittany, you're taking this awfully well. I don't think I'd be able to leave my room."

"Oh when I first woke up this morning, I felt like someone had drenched me in cold water-" Rachel's heart twisted at that "but then I stopped thinking about myself. You even said Quinn told you Santana is terrified of getting in to another relationship. She's not a bad person."

"That doesn't mean it's okay for her to lead you on!"

"Well it's hard to lead someone on if that someone pounces on you out of nowhere."

"I just don't know how you can excuse that behaviour so quickly." Brittany sighed at her friends stubbornness.

"I'm not."

"Kind of sounds like you are."

"She is still an ass for walking out instead of just talking to me but she didn't do it because she's a mean person" Rachel went to interject but was quickly talked over. "She panicked and reacted in the moment. When you really consider it, if it wasn't for her- I could have woken up next to Tom instead."

Both girls shuddered on either side of the phone.

"So what's the plan?" This was where Brittany became a bit stuck. Talking to Rachel and hearing what Quinn had to say had helped but where do they go from there?

"I really like her and I know she likes me too but if a friend is what she needs right now then a friend is what I'll be. I'll just have to show her over time I have no intention of breaking her heart."

Rachel gave up trying to persuade her friend that this was a terrible idea. She knew her words would be wasted. Brittany always did see the best in people.

"Just be careful okay."

Brittany tossed her phone on the bed, flashbacks radiating from the spot where it landed. She physically shook her head. This might not be as easy as she thought.

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><p>Quinn was crossing the street when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Once she'd reached the pavement, she pulled it out to see a text from Rachel.<p>

'Late rehearsal, can't make later. For the record, your friend is an ass.'

Quinn huffed as she put the phone back in her pocket without even responding. Thanks a lot Santana.


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so sorry for the delay. I've not given up- real life just got in the way of the fiction. Being a grown-up sucks sometimes.**

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><p>The streets of New York was embraced in a sense of romance as the crisp winter began to set in. A light dusting of frost made the streets shimmer and dance in the light. Couples huddled closer together as they hurried through the streets, their visible breath entwining as one. It was only November and yet the sentiment of Christmas has started to seep through in all its warm and fluffy glory. Fairy lights twinkling conspiratorially together, gloved hands locked together- thumbs caressing thumbs. Through every cafe shop window, you could see a game of footsie occur over a shared cup of hot chocolate and flushed cheeks. You wouldn't be blamed for thinking love was all around, well almost...<p>

The atmosphere in the restaurant was incredibly tense as the two girls at the table sat in complete silence. Since greeting each other upon entering, they had been at a stand-off of iron wills and clenched tongues. Both were stubborn and neither wanted to back down first; even the waitress seemed resistant in approaching their table, taking in the steel glares and passive aggressive menu flicking. As she placed the jug of water down on the table, she noticed how neither paid attention to her- too busy staring each other down. In a restaurant of doe-eyed couples and whispered sweet nothings, they stuck out like a sore thumb. The waitress sighed realising they were likely to be difficult and less likely to leave a tip.

Eventually it took Quinn to break the silence, placing her her menu down firmly.

"You know what? I'm leaving. If we're not going to talk, there doesn't seem to be much point in me being here." Rachel looked at her in a flash of surprise and annoyance.

"I just can't believe that you can't see how she was in the wrong!"

Quinn had called it right. Since Santana had walked out on Brittany that morning, Rachel had stepped up her protectiveness and naturally, Quinn found herself swept up in the drama. This was exactly what she hadn't wanted, what she hadn't needed. Up until this point, her and Rachel were just on the cusp of exploring their new relationship and up until Santana's faux-pas, things were going great. Now they were stuck on this exhausting merry-go-round. She couldn't understand why Rachel was taking it so personally, Brittany and Santana were fine. She'd assumed tonight would be about them and moving forward. Clearly she'd overshot her expectations.

"Can you even hear yourself Berry?" Quinn found herself regressing into the former HBIC role she used to play over Rachel. Unlike some years ago though, Rachel was less willing to fall in to place.

"There is no accountability here. She hasn't changed one bit has she Quinn?" Quinn half-listened as she took in the woman in front of her, a woman that once stuttered in her presence looking nervously at the ground. Now here she was bold and strong 'and maybe I was wrong about you too." The words came out of nowhere and the blonde flinched at the sting of each one. Her face dropped, immediately swallowing the hurt and you would swear she had morphed into a 17 year old once more in that very spot. She stood up from her seat.

"You weren't the only one that was wrong as I am realising that *all* of this was a mistake." Her words hung in the air, thick like smoke as Rachel eyes began to glisten. Quinn only had to look into those eye's for her bitch persona to retreat back into its place. She reached across the table to grasp at Rachel's hands before she had chance to bring them to her side. "Rachel, I don't want to fight over this. While she might not have handled it well, she is sorry."

"Brittany is my friend Quinn, my friend. Do you know how often I get to say that? Do you know how many times I would wander the halls of McKinley covered in slushie wishing I had one of those?" Quinn's hand tensed on Rachel's as if someone just struck her with a whip. "I stood at the sidelines as I watched you both rule our school and trample over anyone that got in your way. Yes, we were sort of friends by the end but there was so much damage. Can you blame me, honestly, for having my guard up around Santana when it comes to Brittany?" The tears were flowing freely by this point. "Then we left school and not a word from either of you. Not one word. Maybe I could trust that she's changed but how would I know?"

Quinn let out the breath she hadn't even realised she was holding. She couldn't even counter because everything Rachel had said was true. Her and Santana were a nightmare in school. They'd managed to salvage some sense of friendship in the final year with a select few but most of the school still lived in fear. Whatever had gone down recently had clearly brought a lot back for Rachel and between the two of them. Quinn and Santana had worked so hard to leave the people they were behind but that doesn't mean the past is erased.

"There will never be an excuse for how we behaved back then and I know a simple sorry wont cut it for a lot of the people we hurt, yourself included" Rachel wiped away at the glistening streaks on her face as she absorbed Quinn's words. "You don't have to believe me but myself and Santana are not those girls anymore. I think back to how I was and I am disgusted" she squeezed Rachel's hands "and if you let me, let us, we will prove it. We both went away and worked on our shit. I don't know what this is between us right now but I will spend my time in this showing you that you don't have scared or alone anymore."

Quinn wasn't sure how it happened but she found her lips locked against the brunette, it was the taste of salt from Rachel's tears that roused her from her stunned expression and allowed her to kiss back. As Rachel returned back to her chair, Quinn just sat with her eye's still filled with surprise.

"Should we share a starter?" Rachel asked, almost as if the first part of the evening hadn't occurred. Quinn's shoulders relaxed as she realised that the previous hostility had absolutely nothing to do with Santana and Brittany. Rachel needed security, she needed to know Quinn was in this and wasn't just going to turn cold like she would have in High School. It made her sad that she was responsible for making Rachel feel so low and unsure. They'd made progress tonight but as she watched Rachel critically flick through the menu, she realised her and Santana had a lot of wounds to heal.

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><p>Rachel practically skipped out of the theater the following day. Her date with Quinn had started a little rough but they talked...in fact they stayed up talking most of the night until they woke up once again wrapped up around each other the next morning. This tightness that had filled her chest like a clutching fist on her lungs had started to ease and it was like she could breathe again. She rounded on her apartment and was not prepared for what she saw. She stopped in her tracks as the dark haired woman turned around, she must have heard Rachel approaching. In her hands were a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Rachel didn't really know what to say. For the first time in her life, Santana looked at her shyly- almost scared.<p>

"I know I am probably a few years too late but I think it's time we talked." Rachel slowly neared and Santana held out the flowers. They stood frozen in the moment before Rachel remembered to get her keys out and let them in to the apartment.

"Come in." Santana gingerly stepped in, not sure of her place or how she should be. "Santana, this is quite the surprise-"

"I wont stay long. Quinn told me about the conversation you had last night. Don't me mad, I needed to hear it. I treated you so unfairly back in school and it was just as unfair to come back into your life and not even have the balls to apologise."

"Quinn explained everything Santana, you really-"

"Quinn doesn't speak for me so please give me the chance to say how sorry I am?" Rachel just nodded. She wasn't even sure if she was awake at this point. If her high school self knew that one day Santana Lopez would be begging for forgiveness...well actually- she had imagined it lots of times but it was happening, actually happening! "You did nothing to me yet I did so, so many things to you. Despite that, you never failed to offer me friendship and were always at my side if I needed: When my dad got sick, when I broke my leg, when I came out..." Santana's breath began to wobble causing her words to shake slightly. "You showed me nothing but compassion and friendship and in return I showed you the contempt and disdain you did not deserve. I never let you in. By the final year, there was a glimmer of friendship but as soon school finished I ran away without looking back, leaving you in the rubble of everything I destroyed there. Although- I will still argue you have mannish hands". She smiled weakly and Rachel was decent enough to let out a small laugh. "I couldn't change because then I'd have to face up to how I'd been for real and I was far to afraid of the shame, of the guilt so I carried on. I am so, so sorry and I am standing here hoping you can forgive me. I am asking for a chance to be your friend."

Rachel didn't respond right away as she let Santana's speech wash over her.

"Of course Santana." Santana couldn't help but smile and an unsure silence fell in the apartment. This was new territory for them and neither were quite sure how to proceed. Santana rolled her foot, Rachel played with her hands.

"Soooo- you and Brittany?"

"Friends."

"Cool." Rachel didn't want to push Santana and she knew this knew friendship would take time to build. "Dinner soon?"

"Great. I should probably-"

"Yeah I have a ton to rehearse." Both were unprepared for the sudden shyness that had fallen between them now but were relieved to have a break from it. Santana attempted a strange half-hug, they laughed and vowed to work on it.

"Thank you Santana." Santana just smiled in return and left the apartment. Once Rachel closed the door she broke down but for the first time, these were happy tears.

* * *

><p>As Santana unlocked the apartment door, she was overcome with the smell of feet. It quickly knocked any thoughts of Rachel straight out of her head. She wandered the apartment trying to locate the offense to her senses. It didn't take long. With a raised eyebrow, she found Brittany over the stove.<p>

"Jesus Britt, are you cooking sweaty socks or something? I haven't smelt something that bad since the days I'd sneak into the boys lockeroom for my very own pep talk" Brittany turned at the sound of her housemates voice, smile beaming.

"No, last time I tried socks- it tasted awful", she paused looking sad at the memory "I'm making fondue for us" and she immediately looked brighter. Santana eyed the yellowy gloop bubbling in the pan and could already feel her stomach planning its escape. Brittany's smile was also bearing down on her and she found herself between a rock and a hard place.

"Awesome." Brittany jumped up and clapped her hand.

"Lord Tubbington's been taste testing throughout so I know it's good." Santana glanced between the cat with cheese on it's whiskers and the spoon that was now back in the pot stirring. Santana's stomach screamed at her.

"I will go get cleaned up then."

"Good day?" Brittany asked as she turned back to the stove.

"Yeah, I just did things I should have a while back."

...

The girls were halfway through the pizza and Brittany still hadn't shook the confused look from her face.

"He just jumped up and knocked it off?"

"I couldn't even stop him Britt. He leaped for the cheese the second you turned your back." Santana quickly turned to the cat was was now exiled to the balcony with a guilty look.

Santana knew she couldn't eat that fondue so the second Brittany left to go to the bathroom, she nudged the pan off the stove sending the contents all over the floor. When Brittany returned, she told her it was the cat. She didn't even mind the clean-up if it spared her stomach.

"My fondue does crazy things to animals. Once, I was making it for Rachel. I went out to get some cauliflower and pigeons came in and ate it all. I felt bad for Rachel, she hates birds and she had to fight them all away." Santana laughed at Rachel's obvious lie and felt less guilty. Brittany was so gullible and on anyone else, Santana would sneer but with Brittany, it was adorable. She couldn't help watch with warmth as Brittany animatedly reconstructed the scene with the rogue birds.

Lord Tubbington stared through the window glaring at Santana. She gulped and silently promised to make it up to him somehow. His eye's just narrowed and she knew it would take a lot of grovelling. She held a pizza slice in her hand and decided immediately though that it was worth it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the delay again- so much going on right now. I am sticking with this story- the updates might not be as frequent as I'd hope. Thank you all for the support. StephaniieC- your feedback is always lovely. **

* * *

><p>It was a Saturday afternoon and Brittany and Rachel had been pulled into the theater for the last rehearsal before the opening night of their show later that evening. Santana had observed the nervous energy Brittany had been exuding the last few days, it was like living with a hummingbird. If she wasn't dancing at work she was twirling and bounding around the home. If you asked if she was nervous, she'd deny it but she was never sat still for much longer after. Brittany knew the steps in her sleep, hell even Santana did but the blonde never stopped. Santana wasn't even surprised to find herself alone in the apartment when she we woke that day.<p>

...

Quinn and Santana sat at opposite sides of the sofa throwing pieces of of popcorn into each others mouth. Santana's area was clear whereas Quinn had a growing pile forming around her.

"Jesus Quinn, the idea is to CATCH it in your mouth." She watched her friend move like a demented seal desperately trying to catch a fish.

"Maybe if you could aim-"

"Maybe if you didn't have the mouth of an infant! Why were the guys in school interested in you again?" Santana winced as a piece of corn landed square in her eyes. "That's it puta!"

The living room quickly became a blizzard as popcorn got tossed back and forth as the two girls screamed and threw handfuls furiously. Once the popcorn ran out, they resorted to cushions. Santana was raising her pillow above her head to deliver a winning blow to Quinn when the door opened. Brittany stood taking in the mess of the apartment, Santana quickly dropped her arms by her side.

"Hey Brittany" Quinn watched carefully as she saw her friends demeanor suddenly soften in the other blondes presence.

"Hey guys, I would stop to hang but rehearsal was tough so I'm going to run in to the shower then I'm all up for whatever this was." She lightly stepped around the popcorn and headed to the bathroom. Quinn stared at Santana smirking and started mimicking her.

"Hey Brittany" she purposely took her voice up to a deathly-sweet octave.

"Shut up" Santana retaliated, throwing a pillow landing Quinn squarely in the chest.

"I think the lady protest too much. No but seriously have you got you lady loving on again since that night? Your want for her is enough to make the air humid." Santana wrinkled her nose and shook her head at the comment.

"Eww Q. On the topic of lady loving though- you and Berry still vacationing down under? I bet she sings when she-" a pillow hit her in the face before she got chance to finish. "I'm taking that as a yes. As for me and Britt Britt- no we haven't. It's pretty established we're friends and Lord knows I need that right now. She's cool and easy to hang with, she's the perfect roommate." She enunciated each syllable of the word 'roommate' to make her point clearer to Quinn. Quinn just shrugged.

Sure, Santana felt a fluttering now and then but it was nothing deeper than a little crush, she had it in check. She thought she had it in check.

Brittany emerged from her room in tiny shorts and a vest that clung to the damp of her skin. Her wet hair was draped across one shoulder, slow droplets moving like crystals down her tan, toned skin. As she walked, the edge of her shorts edged further up her thigh. Quinn watched in amusement as her best friend started to stare obviously. She couldn't lie though, even she thought Brittany looked hot right now.

Santana didn't know which part of Brittany's body to take in, all of it looked so good. Totally had this in check. Quinn decided to save her friend from impending embarrassment.

"So Britt, all ready for the show tonight?"

"Pretty much, Rachel is still there working on songs but I was wiped." The introduction of voices snapped Santana out of her trance. _Totally_ had it in check. Quinn just chuckled as Santana adopted a bewildered look. "You guys are still coming right?"

"Sure, we wouldn't miss it for the world, would we Santana?" Silence. "Santana?" Santana blushed when she realised she was being spoken to. What the hell was wrong with her, she scolded herself internally.

"Yes, sure, yep, of course, can't wait." Both blondes faced her with arched eyebrows, one came with a smug grin- Brittany looked concerned.

"Are you ill Sanny? Your skin looks really flushed, maybe you should go lie down-"

"Or take a cold shower?" Quinn interjected, clearly enjoying how harassed her friend now was.

"No, no I'm fine- just so excited for the show tonight!" She plastered on a huge smile until she saw Brittany relax with relief.

"Are you sure you don't want me to put you into bed?" Santana's jaw clenched and she had to stop herself from screaming 'TAKE ME NOW'.

"Nope, all good here."

"Okay, well I'm gonna go dry off. I'm so wet, I could catch cold and the director will kill me." Quinn knew Santana only heard one part of that sentence. Santana knew that Quinn knew too.

"Roommate huh?" Quinn teased, copying Santana's own enunciation of the word.

"Quinn you are talking to the girl that made out with a mannequin once and had a sex dream about a bush." Santana's sex drive was not new to her friend and had caused many awkward moments; she was still trying to forget the washing machine incident.

"Santana, your legs are crossed so tightly they could crack a walnut. If you refuse to go there with a certain blonde, you need to go there with someone before I find you rubbing yourself on the corners of the furniture."

Santana face reddened but she couldn't argue with that. She hadn't even realised she'd crossed her legs so hard. She'd never gone more than a few days without sex before so this newfound celibacy combined with Brittany being, well, Brittany was turning out to be quite the little test.

"Maybe we should go out after the show, hit a club maybe?" She tried to play it off innocently but her dark eyes gave her away, Quinn just laughed as she said a silent prayer for whatever woman would find herself with Santana Lopez. They would be eaten for breakfast.

"And there is my old friend Santana Lopez."

* * *

><p>Santana smirked as she caught the cab driver checking her out for what was probably the fifth time in the journey. She'd taken a lot of time and care getting ready for the theaters big night, she knew she looked good. The cab pulled over and the door flung open letting a gust of cold air in.<p>

"Brrrrrr it is freezing out there tonight." Quinn rubbed her arms once she'd settled in to her seat. The cab driver's eyes practically popped out of his head when he saw that his back seat was taken by a beautiful blonde and smouldering Latina. In fact, for a moment- he forgot he was supposed to be driving until the girls looked at him pointedly. They giggled as he finally turned his attention back to the wheel.

"Have you spoke to Rachel?"

"Do you remember Nationals and how neurotic she got?"

"If we hadn't spiked her tea with valium, I might have cut a bitch."

"Well 15 phone calls and 4 of them she didn't speak because she was saving her voice."

"Wh-" Both girls looked at each other before cackling together in the backseat. "She might not be working the look of a hentai character anymore, still a diva."

The girls laughed even more when they remembered the animal jumpers and tiny plaid skirts. Their laughing died down.

"She deserves tonight. The hell we put her through."

"She always was the best of us. Tell her I said that and you're dead Fabray."

"Santana, we're in New York about to watch Rachel Berry on stage." Both girls took a moment to reflect on this. Neither could explain what the strange feeling was stirring in their stomachs. Sure, the high school regret still lingered but this was new. Pride? Santana smiled softly.

"Hey ladies, as much as I love this little bonding session, unless it's about to go somewhere other than PG- we're here and you need to pay and get out." The cab driver looked impatient and the girls hadn't even realised they'd pulled up. Quinn threw a couple of notes to the driver and they got out, holding each other to keep warm from the nights air. Looking down on them was a huge poster of Rachel blown up to huge proportions.

"Her nose could get me from here!"

"Santana, play nice." Quinn's tone was soft and gentle but Santana also knew it wasn't a tone to be tested. Both girls knew that Santana didn't mean it, they both knew Rachel shone.

...

Both the girls clapped loudly as they joined the standing ovation at the end of the show. As Brittany came to bow with the rest of the dancers, Santana was whooping and whistling earning her a teasing elbow from Quinn.

"Try and keep it together Lopez." Then Rachel came on stage for her final bow and Quinn lost her shit screaming and cheering. Santana was fairly certain Rachel heard because she looked shyly at the ground for a second.

"You're an embarrassment" Santana shot while Quinn regained her composure. The show had been incredible. Rachel was incredible. Santana would have once owned up to that fact through gritted teeth but there was no way she could have gotten away with downplaying her performance. She always had a voice back in school but that was nothing to where she was at now. And then there was Brittany. Santana thought she might have been bias about her roommate but then she heard mutterings in the audience around her about how the blonde outshone the other dancers. What she'd demonstrated in the studio in front of the kids was nothing compared to how she owned that stage. The house lights and slow bustle of people leaving brought an end to the applause.

"We should probably go wait by the stage door for them to come out." The girls trudged back in to the cold outdoors to wait for Rachel and Brittany. They were surprised to see girls, programme's in hand, excitedly waiting for the shows stars to emerge. They whispered together and Quinn's jaw clenched when she realised that some of these girls saw Rachel as more than just an idol.

"Jesus fucking Christ, I'm a Rachel Berry groupie" she whined and Santana only sniggered. The door on the side opened creating borderline hysteria amongst the gaggle of girls. They didn't even try to mask their disappointment when it turned out to just be a male dancer. He looked awkwardly round at the crowd before assessing no one was interested in meeting him then shuffled off towards the car park. Moments later the door opened again and this time it was Brittany. Santana felt relief that none of the girls here threw themselves at her. They embraced and Santana gushed about how great she was.

"Thanks guys, hope you've not been here too long. Rachel will be out in the minute, she gave us her car keys so we could wait in the warm. Sorry we couldn't get you backstage, so much press though! To the car?" Quinn was eyeing the girls in front of her.

"I think I'll stay and wait here."

"Well my nipples are like bullets in this cold so I will wait in the car while the groupies fight over Berry." Brittany offered to keep Quinn company but she declined and told the girls to go to the car. Both were grateful as they sat warming their hands around the in-car heater.

"You were awesome Britt, like super awesome." Brittany smiled like a dope.

"Thanks, the choreographer Graham is pissed though."

"How come?"

"Apparently I made the other dancers look like shit."

"And that's your problem because?"

"It means the other dancers either need to step up to keep up or I have to take it down a notch." Santana disagreed with how it was made out to be Brittany's fault.

"Well screw Graham, you were a sensation" and she pulled Brittany into a hug. Brittany let herself settle in to the hug before she exhaled into the embrace, pulling them closer together. Santana stiffened before letting go.

"Sorry, it's just comforting." Santana's eye's searched Brittany's face, looking for words.

"Britt-"

"It's okay, I get it I do. We're friends."

"Right." Brittany couldn't help shake the feeling that Santana wanted to say more than that but she didn't. As the other two girls approached the car, she just looked at Brittany "You're such a good friend Brittany." She then slipped into silence as Rachel opened the door.

"Celebratory dinner anyone?"

...

"...Vocal Adrenaline stole all her clothes from the shared showers. Next thing you know, Santana is strolling the corridors butt naked." Quinn and Rachel were filling Brittany in on some of their High School antics.

"What did she do then?" Santana returned from the ladies room just in time to answer Brittany's question and finish the story.

"I knew which bitch had done it so instead of going for her, I went straight to her boyfriends room and knocked on his door. His eye's bulged almost as much as something else."

"You slept with him?"

"Eww no. I just let her think I did." Anyone else, Brittany would have thought that was a bit cheap but with Santana, it was kind of hot. The image of her naked certainly helped. "I haven't always been so mature and respectable Miss Pierce."

Quinn couldn't help but snort at that and Rachel choked on her drink.

"Understatement." She spluttered.

"Fine Berry, yes I was quite the bitch." Brittany continued to laugh as the girls shared more stories. She found it hard to believe Santana was once the demon they were describing. How could a woman that fierce let someone like Roz crush her? She didn't have time to linger on that as questions were soon turned on her. She described bits of her childhood. She'd been bullied a bit for being 'dumb' right up until puberty when she got 'boobs and a dancers ass' as she described it. Suddenly the other girls didn't mean being her friend so much and guys could picture them being with her.

Santana and Quinn looked down awkwardly at the table; there was a strong chance that they would have been just like those girls even if they couldn't ever imagine not getting on with Britt. Rachel sensed the shift in energy.

'KARAOKE.'

'Oh brother.' Santana folded her arms. She knew it was only a matter of time before they were dragged to karaoke. So far, they'd lasted two months in their renewed friendship.

'I know it's unfair when I'm the only singer of the group but I promise it'll be fun." Santana's eyebrow raised in to a high arch.

'It's on Manhands." Quinn just shook her head as she watched the old spark of competition flare up between the girls. Brittany was surprised, could Santana sing or something?

XX

Santana was shifting in her seat uncomfortably. Since she'd performed her song to the cheers of the bar crowd, she had felt Brittany's eyes on her endlessly. She didn't return any of the gazes preferring not to see whatever was held in those bright blues.

Brittany knew she was staring but she couldn't help it. There was a lot of bravado on the way to the bar, enough to confirm that Santana would probably be able to hold her own on stage. She was in no way prepared for the voice that left her room mate as she sang and slinked across stage. Brittany almost waved a white flag of defeat as she realised her attraction to Santana just kicked up a whole notch. Now Santana was sat right in front of her and she knew her energy had shifted and she couldn't take her eyes off her. She also noticed that Santana wasn't returning any of her attention.

Quinn watched the awkward body language of her best friend who was trying to look anywhere but at the table. Luckily, Rachel was on stage now so she had a free pass but when she wasn't- her shoes became suddenly interesting. Quinn felt sort of bad for Brittany. As the other blonde realised Santana was purposely avoiding looking in her direction, she looked sadly into her drink. Rachel came back to the table, oblivious.

"I'm going to the bathroom." As Quinn got up, she shot Santana the look that said 'and you're coming with me.' Santana knew better than to argue with that look.

"You are? I'll come with you Q." Quinn nodded, satisfied and the two girls crossed to the bathroom.

Brittany watched the two girls go and tried to claw back some of her good mood.

"You were fabulous as always dear" she smiled at Rachel.

"Thank you dear but don't think you can distract me from the glum look you have now. Let me guess, S-"

"Santana." Brittany could only nod.

...

"...and then all of a sudden, you'd swear you shot Bambi's mother." Santana looked uneasy as Quinn confronted her with whatever was going on at the table. 'Seriously San, she has it bad."

"I don't know what you want me to do Q. I don't. I've been clear I just want to be friends."

"Have you though? Crystal clear because your drool today suggests otherwise."

...

"...and I know she says she wants to be friends but something tells me she doesn't, not really."

"How do you mean?"

"Well she says it but when she lets her guard down! Like today, I thought I'd test the water so I put on shorts on a vest after my shower and I know she couldn't take her eyes off me. She could barely talk." Rachel sighed loudly at this revelation.

"And now she is barely looking at you?" Brittany's face darkened slightly.

"Only because she doesn't want to feel it too."

...

"...now I can feel her stare on me at all. And I can't look at her because the thought of letting her down again, I just can't."

"And just sucking it up and going with you feelings isn't-"

"-an option? No. I am not looking for a relationship right now. I can barely see a redhead without my heart stopping in my chest." Quinn gave a sympathetic smile while cursing her friends ex. It always seemed to come back to her.

"She isn't Roz." Santana's leant her head back against the wall.

"Quinn, I spent 5 years and then some of my life with that woman. We were our own little family and I am just learning to adjust away from that. I am just becoming okay with it just being me. If me and Brittany started dating, we're already living together- it gets too heavy too soon and I just can't."

Quinn saw Santana's point alright.

"You need to set a clear message then."

...

"You need to force her to face her feelings." Rachel finalised.

"How?" Both Santana and Brittany answered at the same time. Each were returned with a sly, knowing smile.

Brittany saw the two friends returning to the table and she was going over Rachel's plan in her head, just as Santana was going over Quinn's.

They were barely sat down when Brittany got up suddenly.

"I'm going to dance." Rachel winked as Brittany headed towards the dancefloor. Quinn nodded at Santana with encouragement and the Latina muttered something under her breath.

"I'm getting a drink." Quinn smiled as her plan was put in to action.

It didn't take long for Brittany to find someone to dance with. Women and men alike were moving around her and she moved freely between them.

Santana sat at the bar loosely watching Brittany on the dancefloor when she was interrupted.

"I don't make a habit of this but can I buy you a drink?" Santana followed the voice to the now occupied stool beside her. Her words caught in her throat as she was dazzled by a smile. That was quick.

"Erm, sure yeah." The woman motioned to the bar tender who brought over four tequila slammers. "You don't hold back do you?" Santana laughed.

"Well, you see a beautiful woman alone at the bar- you need to get your courage somehow." Santana shook her head while rolling her eyes at the strangers words.

"Santana."

"Amy." They exchanged names with smirks and kept eye contact as they downed their shots.

"I don't suppose, Amy, you would like to dance?" Amy's smirk widened.

"I thought you'd never ask. I hope you can keep up." The challenge immediately made her think of Brittany but she pushed it to one side and Amy's hand lead her to the dancefloor.

Brittany caught sight of Santana heading to the dancefloor, a girl in tow. They began dancing together and Britanny knew she had to step up her own plan. She looked between the multiple people she was dancing with and zoned in on one.

"So what brings you here?" Amy half-shouted over the music.

"My friend's show opened tonight so we're celebrating." As she finished, the music shifted to something a little sexier and she saw Brittany move in close to her own partner. Santana followed suit and Amy did not resist. They're bodies moved in time with each other.

Brittany saw this so turned around so she could grind her ass into her partner- who was delighted.

Amy put her hands on Santana's hips and moved them closer together.

Brittany brushed her body across her partner as she lowered herself to the floor and back up again.

Santana caught it and saw how Brittany's eyes never left her. Wait, was she-? Her eyes widened as she realised Brittany was trying to make her jealous. She almost kicked herself when she figured Brittany would be thinking Santana was doing the same. Santana pushed her hips into Amy and sure enough, Brittany followed with another provocative move. Fuck. This was supposed to be showing Brittany that she wasn't interested in being anything other than friends but Brittany wasn't getting it. Santana grimaced, knowing what she was about to do would sting.

Knowing full well Britt's eyes weren't leaving her. She pulled back from Amy slightly and saw the dark eyes of her dance partner.

...

Rachel and Quinn sat at the table watching their friends.

"I told Britt to make Santana jealous tonight. I guess San is playing the same game yeah?" Rachel's words made Quinn's stomach drop as the implications rang like alarm bells. Shit, shit, shit.

...

Amy smirked as she looked into Santana's face. The Latina licked her lips nervously. slowly closing the space between them. Their lips met and Amy didn't restrain herself from making it more heated. Santana was stunned to feel a tongue asking for access against her bottom lip. As their tongues made contact, her eyes opened in surpise- just in time to see Brittany leave the dancefloor.

...

Quinn watched the kiss happen behind her hands and for once, Rachel was speechless. Brittany was soon beside them, downbeat trying not to watch Santana but not being able to help it. Rachel put her hands on hers.

"Britt, I'm sorry."

"No, it's cool. I was stupid to think it would work. We're just friends, that has been made clear."

Quinn winced through the small conversation. Man, her and Santana misjudged this big time.

Santana couldn't shake the guilt as she broke the kiss with Amy. She didn't expect how hurt Britt would be and that was the last thing she wanted.

"I have to go see my friends for a moment." The worst part of this was that she had to continue her resolve. She made her way to the table nonchalantly leaving Amy swaying slightly on the spot. She had to be casual, she had to see this through.

"Man I love New York." Brittany didn't even look up, Rachel glared and Quinn looked apologetic. The night had definitely come to an end.


End file.
